"The 1999 A.L.Brown Wonders"The End of an EraThe Complete 1999 Season Defined

? Was the 1999 season any more special or different than any of the other eight seasons that preceeded it in the decade of the nineties? When you look at the season as a whole you would think there was nothing that stood out about this group, but that couldn't be further from truth. As with most Wonder football teams the 1999 team was loaded with talent and potential, and were favorites yet again in the pre season to take the South Piedmont Conference. Same old song and dance right? Well, not quite. Though they didn't know it at the time this would become a very special group of Wonders, who would ultimatley close out a chapter in Wonder football history that had been in the making for nearly ten years. Lets take a closer look at just what set the 1999 Wonders apart from the rest.First and foremost the 1999 Wonders were comprised of some the last remaining members of the 1997 State Championship team. The 1999 Wonders would have the distinction of being the first team to take the field in the "Post Nick Maddox" era after Maddox graduated in the spring of 1999 and headed south to Florida State University. The 1999 Wonders had two very talented twin brothers who were starting veterans that just happened to be the sons of the head coach Bruce Hardin. Though nobody knew it at the time the 1999 Wonders would be the last Bruce Hardin led Wonder team before the Ron Massey era would begin in 2000. Hardin would resign his post at the conclusion of the 1999 season heading off to the Citadel with his two graduating sons Justin and Blair. Most notably the 1999 Wonders would become the last Wonder team to record an undefeated regular season as well as be ranked #1 in the AAA polls.The 1999 season began with much anticipation, and one big question mark. It had been a little over nine months since the Wonders left Memorial Stadium with heads hung low after a heartbreaking 26-21 third round playoff defeat at the hands of the Mountaineers from Kings Mountain in 1998, and the sting was still aching. The Wonders were also looking at life without one of it's biggest stars. A star who carried the team on his shoulders for nearly three years. Nick Maddox was gone, and now Wonder nation was left Wondering could the magic be recaptured without him. Most importantly could the Wonders duplicate the regular season success of 1998, and get back to the state title game in Chapel Hill? The answers to those questions are revealed in the material below. Come relive the thrill and the angst of this historic Wonder season, and lets party like it's 1999 one more time.

"We Must Move Forward"

"A Burning Question in the Minds of Wonder Nation"

Going into the 1999 season this undeniably was the biggest question fans of the A.L. Brown Wonders were asking. Was there a life after Nick? and If there was where will we find it? Wonder nation was still struggling with the third round loss to Kings Mountain in a year that was suppose to bring a third state title to wonderland. Now you face the daunting task of getting back to that point without your stud horse to lead the way. This was the outlook for the 1999 Wonders going into the 1999 season as seen by the Salisbury Post.

"Brothers to Step Up in 1999"Justin and Blair

"Heir to the Throne"Marcello Stanback

"The Scrimmages Begin"

"Game #1 Kannapolis vs Statesville"

Kannapolis-39 Statesville-18

#12 Wonder LB Josh Lee

"Game #2 Kannapolis vs South Rowan"

Kannapolis-53 South Rowan-31

"Game #3Kannapolis vs SunValley"

Kannapolis-63 SunValley-13

"Game #4 Kannapolis vs NorthRowan"

Kannapolis-42 NorthRowan-6

After the Wonders thrashing of North Rowan and a loss by the states number one ranked 3A team Winston Salem Carver, The Wonders sky rocketed to the top of the classification where they would fight on to keep their position among the elite of the states 3A teams.

"Game #5 Kannapolis vs Central Cabarrus"

Kannapolis-34 CentralCabarrus-31

"Game #6 Kannapolis vs Piedmont"

Kannapolis-70 Piedmont-0

And so the 1999 season hits the midway point. The Wonders look to be men on a mission, and the rankings reflect that. The concerns about life without "Nick at Night" have long since faded, and two forces in the running tandem of Marcello Stanback and Eric Caldwell have the Wonder faithful believing this team was destined to do big things. The Wonder defense has come up big and several stars are emerging in Josh Lee, Lee Basinger, Justin Chambers, and Desmond Williams. However several big tests lay ahead, and the road to the SPC Championship is going to get hairy as the Wonders look to battle West Rowan, a surprising group fromEast Rowan, a bitter group of TrojansfromNorthwest Cabarrus, and the always unpredictable ConcordSpiders for SPC supremacy. This one will prove to be a shocker indeed."Proceed to "1999 Year in Review Continuation Page"

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